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Glossary

This is a short list of Japanese words and related terms that are used on this site, with definitions and any unique connotations related to 3x3 Eyes. For more unusual terms specific to 3x3 Eyes, consult the Magic and Names Guide.

For Japanese terms, the kanji or kana in Unicode (UTF-8) encoding follows the romanized term.

anime (アニメ) -
animation (but you probably knew that). As with manga, this word is used outside of Japan to refer exclusively to Japanese animation.

densetsu (伝説) -
legend, as in Seima Densetsu (Legend of the Divine Demon), the name of the second OAV series. See also seima

doujinshi (同人誌) -
manga magazine produced by a "circle" or group of fans. These publications often contain original stories featuring popular manga characters, sort of like visual fanfiction. Doujinshi are very popular in Japan, and many publications appear quite professional. A kojinshi is a magazine produced by a single fan rather than a group.

drama album -
soundtrack containing dramas, which are audio skits performed by the characters for a series, usually the same voice actors that are in the anime. A drama album will usually contain several skits (or a long one with several parts), in addition to music.

gesu (下種) -
lower class, low-ranking (person, monster). Studio Proteus used Curse of the Gesu as the title of their second series of 3x3 Eyes manga translations, since Sanjiyan (Pai) refers to the one-eyed, trenchcoat-wearing monster as "Gesu" in the Japanese manga. In the credits of the Japanese anime, the one-eyed monster is called "Youma".

image album -
soundtrack for a series containing songs that are have no direct relation to the series, i.e. they were not used in the anime. Image songs may have been "inspired" by an anime or manga, or they may be sung by one of the voice actors for the anime. The song "3x3 Eyes" by Takada Band on the first 3x3 Eyes CD is a good example of an image song.

juuma (獣魔) -
beast (lit. beast demon). In 3x3 Eyes, this word often refers to the mindless aggressive creatures used in beast magic, such as T'u-Chao. See also youkai

manga (まんが、漫画) -
Japanese word for "comic", and therefore used outside of Japan to refer specifically to Japanese comics. (Japanese people also commonly use the English word "comic" to refer to manga, which makes the whole situation rather ironic, not to mention confusing.)

OAV (or OVA) -
Original Anime Video or Original Video Animation. The term refers to direct-to-video releases (like 3x3 Eyes), as opposed to TV shows or theatrical releases.

ongaku (音楽) -
music, sometimes used to distinguish a soundtrack containing background music (BGM) from one containing vocal songs.

seichi (聖地) -
holy land, sacred place. In 3x3 Eyes, this refers to the Sanjiyan homeland, the birthplace of Pai.

seima (聖魔) -
divine demon. This word is a combination of the kanji for "saint" and "demon", and it seems to be unique to 3x3 Eyes. It is used to refer to the Sanjiyan Unkara, implying a mixture of fear and reverence.

seiyuu (声優) -
voice actor or actress.

tankoubon (単行本) -
single volume which collects multiple chapters of a manga series. In Japan, magazines containing chapters from many different manga series are published regularly, usually weekly or monthly. If a series is popular, groups of chapters will later be republished in small paperback volumes (somewhat similar to trade paperbacks or graphic novels in the USA).

youkai (妖怪) -
spirit, supernatural creature. This is a very broad term which includes all types of supernatural phenomena, including both youma and juuma. In the first OAV, Ling-Ling offers to sell Chou and Ms. Huang paper charms to ward off youkai-jaki (evil spirits).

youma (妖魔) -
monster, demon. In 3x3 Eyes this can be any being that is not human, which includes most of the main characters. This term normally implies intelligence, unlike juuma.

3x3 Eyes story, art, and characters Copyright © 1987-1999 Yuzo Takada / Kodansha.
This unofficial fan web site is not affiliated in any way with the copyright holders.

Site maintained by David Park
Last updated: March 1, 2011 3:33AM UTC